Every team’s MLB trade deadline vibes
As summarized by Olivia Rodrigo
Trades are emotional. They are breakups and new relationships. They bring out the rush of the new and the crushing sadness of the end. A day with so many, like MLB’s trade deadline, is dizzying. The appropriate feelings aren’t always clear right away.
I’ve taken the 24 hours since that deadline to read the analysis, break down the guts of each team's moves and process those emotions, with the help of our preeminent modern chronicler of beginnings, endings and the mental ripple effects thereof: Olivia Rodrigo.
Below, I have summarized the thrust of each teams’ trade deadline performances and separated them into tiers, described with an apropos song Rodrigo title. They are roughly listed in order of my assessment, from sweet to sour.
drop dead
Los Angeles Dodgers
- They got: Tarik Skubal, catcher depth, their latest good starter you’ll forget about on the IL (Kris Bubic)
- They gave up: The best prospect moved, Zyhir Hope, plus old-but-exciting pitcher prospect River Ryan and a few assorted youngsters
They’re playing checkers and beating everyone else at chess. Moving on.
the cure
Chicago Cubs
- They got: Most of a new pitching staff — Clay Holmes, Kevin Gausman, Braxton Garrett, plus reliever Ryan Zeferjahn — and nifty fourth outfielder Tyrone Taylor
- They gave up: Top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas and promising bat-only slugger Moises Ballesteros, most notably
San Diego Padres
- They got: Starting pitchers Casey Mize and Robbie Ray
- They gave up: Pitching prospect Kash Mayfield, one of the few marquee names left in their farm system, and a couple other youngsters including 17-year-old lotto ticket Joniel Hernandez
These contending teams identified the holes on their roster and moved swiftly to fill them. For the Cubs and Padres, the hole stood smoldering where the starting rotation was supposed to be. So they brought in new starters ranging from competent (Garrett) to tested (Gausman, Ray) to very good (Mize, Holmes). If it doesn’t work, you can’t blame the thought process.
